Objective To find the relation between donor liver cold preservation-reperfusion injury and hepatocellular apoptosis during liver transplantation. Methods Four groups of rabbit livers, which had experienced cold storage for 0,3,6,9hr respectively, were observed during their cold preservation-reperfusion by using TdT-mediated dUTP-biotion nickend labeling and electron microscope.Results Apoptopic hepatic parenchymal cells were obviously observed in reperfusing livers subsequent to cold storage. Furthermore, the longer the cold storage duration, the greater the number of apoptotic cells. On the contrary, no or rare apoptotic hepatic parenchymal cells was observed in all the groups at the end of cold preservation. Conclusion It suggests that apoptosis of hepatic parenchymal cells is markedly involved in donor liver cold preservation-reperfusion injury.